Shaping Minds
by Cheeky Slytherin Lass
Summary: A look at the professors of Hogwarts and the lives they've touched.:: 3. Minerva will be damned if she lets someone hurt her students
1. Pomona Sprout

_Written for the Marathon Competition (Mile Three: write about three people in a given profession. Teacher 1 of 3)_

* * *

"You're doing quite well at this," Pomona tells Neville. "One of the most promising I've seen in years."

The delight on the boy's face is almost heartbreaking. She's heard talk among the rest of the staff. They try not to speak poorly of their students, but some things slip. Neville Longbottom, they say, is so clumsy. Neville Longbottom, they say, probably could charm his way out of a paper bag.

But it isn't her pity for the boy that fuels her praise. She has seen many students over the past few decades. Some brilliant, others lacking. But Neville Longbottom, the boy with so much trouble working a wand and brewing potions, has the greenest thumb she's seen in quite a while.

"Thank you, Professor," he says, his cheeks burning a dark red.

Pomona pulls a book from her robe, placing it beside him with a smile. "I think you might enjoy this," she says. "It's advanced material for seventh years, but if it catches your eye, I'm sure I can arrange for you to visit the other greenhouses."

…

After two weeks, she begins to think that Neville will not take her up on the offer. Perhaps his lack of confidence is greater than she's believed.

With a sigh, she tends to her Devil's Snare.

"Professor?"

She turns, relieved to find Neville before her.

He shifts his weight awkwardly from foot to foot, wringing his hands together. "I think I'd like to have a look at some of the other plants," he says quietly.

Her lips twist into a proud smile. A tear falls from her eye, and she quickly wipes it away. "What would you like to see, my dear?" she asks.

Neville smiles. "Everything.".


	2. Sybill Trelawney

_For the Marathon Competition (professor 2 of 3)_

* * *

Sybill sighs as she walks across her classroom. She isn't a fool, regardless of what others may think. She knows that most students see Divination as a joke, an easy class. She know that they mock her Inner Eye and say such cruel things.

Some days, she wonders why she bothers to stay at Hogwarts at all. She could find employment elsewhere. After all, Muggles pay good money to have their fortunes read.

Dean and Seamus quickly straighten when she passes them by, their muffled laughter ending abruptly. "Let's see. So, if you dreamt that you were trapped in a room filled with mirrors," Seamus says.

Sybill shakes her head. She knows that the moment she stops lingering, Dean will go back to doodling and Seamus will pull out his magazine again.

Such a shame. She sees so much potential in so many of them. So many Inner Eyes that could open so wide, if only they cared more.

"All right. Your dream is quite complex," Parvati Patil says, and Sybill stops, smiling to herself.

She can hear the enthusiasm in the girl's voice. And the way Lavender leans in eagerly… The two of them remind her of herself as a young girl, tearing through page after page, nourishing her natural ability.

"So, the first element is the fire," Parvati continues, shuffling through her dictionary.

"I wasn't scared of the fire in my dream," Lavender adds. "My dream self's reaction should play a factor in the meaning."

Sybill passes them by. They don't suddenly abandon their work when her eyes are no longer upon them. They continue, carefully picking apart each and every aspect of the dream.

Maybe it isn't the perfect job. So few are there to learn. And yet, students like Parvati and Lavender exist, only a handful each year, and they make Sybill know that it's worth it.


	3. Minerva McGonagall

_For the Marathon Competition (Third Mile, 3 of 3 professors), the Ultimate Patronus Quest (ferrett: write about someone using Transfiguration as punishment), and Chutes and Ladders Challenge (look at me)_

* * *

Minerva fumes as she returns to her office. She can hardly believe what this school has become. For years, she's taught her students, built them up, guided them, just as the rest of the faculty has- minus a few like Lockhart and Umbridge, but she hardly considers them proper.

And now, those Death Eaters, one of whom she had trusted and considered a friend, have turned it all upside down. They've made a mockery of her school, her home.

Perhaps Severus isn't so bad. He's mostly kept to himself. But the Carrows. They're running loose, doing whatever they please with no consequences. The thought makes her sick. She's had far too many students come to her in tears after being subjected to their cruel punishments.

Resignation is not an option. Though it's tempting to turn away and refuse to watch the school that she loves become a Death Eater's wildest fantasy, she has to think of the children. _Her_ children. Even those who are not in her House. She's spent so much time pouring herself into their education. Someone has to stay and keep an eye on them.

"Professor?"

"Miss Abbott? What is it?" she asks, surprised to find the Hufflepuff at her door.

Hannah steps closer, wringing her hands nervously. "I didn't know who else to go to," she says quietly. "I- Come in. It's okay."

Minerva stares in confusion, wondering who on earth she could be talking to. But then Susan Bones follows her in, and Minerva understands. The girl's arm has been sloppily transfigured into glass.

"I've bumped it so many times already," Susan says fearfully. "What happens if it shatters? Will I lose my arm?"

Minerva gestures her closer, rage and pity warring for dominance in her mind. "They did this to you, didn't they?"

Susan sniffles and nods, wiping her eyes with her good hand. "They- they- they- I didn't- I was just-"

"She was supposed to use an Unforgivable on a first year," Hannah explains, stroking her friend's hair. "But Susan couldn't. She kept dropping her wand. Amycus said that since she doesn't know how to hold a wand properly…"

Minerva's stomach grows acidic. For a flicker of a moment, she thinks about barging into that despicable man's classroom and transfiguring him into the worm that he truly is.

She takes a deep breath. Now is not the time for vengeance. She has no doubt that she will be able to teach him a lesson one day. But for now, her students need her.

"Amycus Carrow was always terrible at Transfiguration," Minerva says. "I'm surprised he even remembered this spell. He was never particularly bright."

Susan gives a soft laugh. Good. She's scared, but she's laughing. That means there's still hope.

Carefully, Minerva maneuvers her wand, ending with a gentle flick against the glass arm. Slowly, the glass melts away, changing. Susan screams, and Hannah puts an arm around her.

"Look at me," Minerva says when her work is complete. "I will do whatever I can to keep you safe. All of you. Tell the others. If any harm comes to you, come to me."

"Thank you, Professor," Susan says, flexing her arm, a timid smile on her lips.

"This is our school. Not theirs. And I will make sure that they remember it," Minerva assures them.

No. Leaving is not an option. The war may be waging beyond the castle, but there is a great battle within its corridors, and Minerva will be damned if she goes without a fight.


End file.
